Sunday 3 May 2009

Conservation Agriculture boosts productivity

Unlike conventional farming practices, conservation agriculture (CA)is aimed at attaining food security at the household level by minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining a permanent soil cover and practising crop rotation. When these are practised together with other good agronomic practices it is possible to increase yields significantly.

Labour or fuel costs are reduced dramatically by moving away from ploughing. Fertilizer and moisture are used more efficiently by concentrating them where they are needed by the crops.

Experience from pilot CA projects in Zambia and Zimbabwe shows increased access to food by those that practice it. This in turn has reduced their dependence on food markets and has increased their resilience to weather and socio-economic related shocks” said Bernard Namachila, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in Zambia at a regional event on CA event in April.

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